Gearing



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NTN F. ER-ICSQN, OF PHILIPSBURG, PENNSYLVATI.

GEARNG'.

Application flied April 12, 1928. Serial No. 631,7G4.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that l, ANTON F. ERicsoN, a citizen of the United States residing at Philipsburg, in the county of dlearlield and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Gearing, of which the followinff is a specification.

it is the object of this invention to provide a novel means whereby back-lash between intermeshing gear wheels will be prevented, the structure being of peculiar utility for use in connection with the gears which connect the crank shaft with the cam shaft in an internal 'combustion enginealthough the device hereinafter' described is capable of general use and is not confined in its application to the purpose mentioned.

lt is within the province of the disclosure to improve generally and to enhance the utility7 of devices of that type to which the invention appertains.

lith the above and other objects in View, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that.y within the scope ol what is claimed, changes in the precise embodiment of the invention shown can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

ln the accompanying drawings Figure l is a section wherein parts appear in elevation: Figure 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Figure l, the line l-l in Figure 2 indicating, approximately, the cutting plane on which Figure l is taken.

The numeral l designates a shaft of' any desired sort, for instance, the cam shaft of an internal combustion engine. The numeral 2 designates a lpinion comprising a. hub 3, secured by a key si. or otherwise, to the shaft l.. A. pinion 2 is provided with annular ribs 5 having transverse seats 6. A second pinion 7 is provided, and includes a hub 8, rotatably' mounted on the hub 3 of the pinion 2. rldhe pinions 2 and 7 have marginal flanges, as clearly shown in Figure 2. The pinion 7 is supplied with an annular rib 9, located outwardly of the rihs :3 the pinion 2, the ribs 9 and 5 projecting in opposite directions, and the rih 9 of the pinion 7 being supplied with seats lO. A washer 1l is mounted on the shaft l and the washer overlapping the hub 8 of the pinion 7 to hold the pinion 1n place, rotatably, on

abuts against the hub 3 of the pinion the huh 3 of the pinion 2. rl`he f'asher 'li may be retained on the shaft l by means of a nut 12, threaded on the shaft. Springs l/-l are provided` and, preferably are in the form of strips, the inner ends of the springs 14 being secured in the seats 6 of the ribs 5 on the pinion 2, the outer ends of the springs being received slidably in the seats l() of the rib 9 of the pinion 7. Referring to Figure 2, it will be noted that the springs lei are located between the marginal flanges of the pinions on the one hand, and the hub S on the other hand. The numeral l5 designates a driving gear wheel which meshes with the teeth of the pinion 2 and with the teeth of the pinion 7.

liet it be supposed that the gear wheel 15, on the one hand, and the pinions 2 and 7 on the other hand, are to rotate in the dire'tion indicated by the arrows in Figure l. The nut l2 and the washer l] are removed from the shaft l, and the pinion 7 is moved to the right in Figure 2 until it is out of mesh with the gear wheel 5. Then, the pinion 7 is rotated slightly, in a direction opposite to that indicated by the lowermost arrow in Figure l until the springs lil are flexed sligl'itly, thereupon the pinion 7 is pushed back into mesh with the gear wheel l5, the washer ll and the nut l2 being replaced.

Referring to Figure l, it will now be obvious that the spring la will react in a. direction indicated by the lowermost arrow in Figure l, and, producing a slight relative movement between the pinion '7 and the pinion 2. will cause the teeth of the pinion 7 to he offset slightly with respect to the teeth of the Apinion 2, thereby filling the space between the teeth of the gear wheel 1:1 and taking up back lash or lost motion.

The. device forming the suhject matter of this application is of utility, regardless of the direction in which the gear wheel 15 is to he rotated. Thus, if rotation is to he imparted in a direstion opposite to that indicated by the lowermost arrow in Figure l. the pinion 7 may be rotated, for adjustnient with i" spect to the pinion 2 in such a direction as to put into the springs le, a 'flexure oppositeto that shown in Figure l. The structure, therefore, is of use regardless of the direction of the drive. The pinions 2 and 7 rotate about a con'nnon axis, and no eccentric parts are used. The structure forming the subject matter of this application may be interposed in a gear train, with obviously desirable results.

What is claimed is l. In a device of the class described, a pair of pinions located side by side and having a common axis, one p-inion beingr rotatable with respect to the other pinion, `for adjustment, the pinionsbeing provided With oppositel)7 projecting annular ribs, springs engaged with the ribs of the pinions, and a gear Wheel meshing With both pinions.

2. In a. device or" the class described, a pair of pinions located side by side and having` a common axis, one pinion. being rotatable with respect to the other pinion, lor adjustment, the pinions being provided with oppositely projecting annular ribs.J and a spring),` engaged with the ribs of the pinions.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my sig-l nature in the presence of two Witnesses. ANTON F. ERICSON. W itnesses A. G. ERIcsoN, MAUDE ERIosoN. 

